Digital transformation has emerged as one of the most critical imperatives for contemporary organizations seeking to remain competitive in rapidly evolving markets. For large-scale telecommunication firms, the significance of this transformation is even greater due to the sector’s unique characteristics, including extensive infrastructure, high capital intensity, widespread customer bases, and rapidly shifting technological standards. In such contexts, the ability of firms to modernize their processes, reconfigure their business models, and realign their strategic orientations becomes indispensable. However, successful digital transformation extends beyond the mere adoption of new technologies; it fundamentally depends on the development of a strong and adaptive digital culture. Organizational digital culture reflects the shared values, beliefs, and practices that enable employees and leaders to embrace change, experiment with innovative approaches, and integrate digital thinking into everyday decision-making. Without such a cultural foundation, even the most ambitious digital initiatives are likely to face resistance and underperformance.

Despite its critical role, cultivating a digital culture within large telecommunication enterprises is often a highly challenging endeavor. Prior studies suggest that cultural barriers, such as employee reluctance, managerial inertia, or conflicting priorities, may pose greater obstacles to transformation than technological limitations. Yet, the precise nature of these barriers, as well as the causal relationships among them, remain insufficiently understood, particularly in the telecommunications industry. This study, therefore, seeks to fill this gap by systematically identifying, categorizing, and prioritizing the barriers that hinder the development of a digital culture in large telecommunication firms.

To achieve this aim, a three-stage research strategy was employed. First, a meta-synthesis approach was used to integrate insights from a wide range of existing studies on digital transformation and organizational culture. This step allowed for the development of a comprehensive conceptual framework that synthesized prior theoretical contributions and highlighted recurring patterns of challenges. Second, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 experts in the telecommunications industry, including executives, digital strategy managers, and consultants directly involved in transformation initiatives. These interviews provided valuable sector-specific perspectives, enriching the conceptual framework with empirical evidence and contextual nuances. Finally, the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method was applied to analyze the causal relationships among the identified barriers. By employing this method, the study was able to move beyond simple enumeration of challenges and instead prioritize them according to their degree of influence and interdependence.

The findings of the study highlight that foundational barriers, such as insufficient leadership commitment, lack of a clearly articulated digital vision, and misalignment between strategic objectives and digital initiatives, exert the most significant causal impact. These barriers generate secondary challenges, including widespread resistance to change among employees, lack of trust in digital systems, and disregard for employee experience in the design of transformation programs. The analysis reveals that unless leadership-driven obstacles are adequately addressed, other remedial measures are unlikely to produce sustainable results. Furthermore, the findings emphasize that digital culture is not merely a by-product of technological change but a precondition for its success.

From a managerial perspective, these results provide a roadmap for leaders in telecommunication enterprises to design targeted interventions that foster digital culture. For instance, cultivating visible and consistent leadership support, establishing a shared and inspiring digital vision, and involving employees in the co-creation of transformation initiatives are shown to be effective strategies. From an academic standpoint, the study contributes to the literature by integrating conceptual synthesis with empirical insights and methodological rigor, thereby offering a replicable framework for analyzing cultural barriers in other industries as well.

In conclusion, the study demonstrates that the success of digital transformation within large telecommunication organizations hinges not solely on technology, but more profoundly on people, culture, and leadership. By identifying and prioritizing the barriers to digital culture development, this research provides both scholars and practitioners with actionable insights that can facilitate smoother transitions toward digitally enabled organizations. The findings ultimately underline the importance of culture as the backbone of digital transformation, without which technological investments and strategic reforms risk falling short of their intended impact.